Pet Cambodian crocs in the post

Pet Cambodian crocs in the post

With Cambodia's dog population under threat from hungry poachers as food prices rise, one Cambodian company is trying to entice potential owners to try a pet less likely to be stolen – crocodiles.

Crocodiles Cambodia, based in Siem Reap, offers 18 eggs and an incubator in a brown paper wrapping to be shipped anywhere in the world for a snap at just $2,355 for shipment anywhere in the world.

The company's website says it sells the eggs "in the expectation that the crocodiles will be treated well and looked after as they should be", and warns potential proud owners to check their local authorities for permission.

Within 80 days, the reptiles should hatch, according to Crocodiles Cambodia.

The eggs are the product of a particularly aggressive hybrid of the Siamese and saltwater crocodiles, so buyers are warned to remember that "crocodiles grow large and live for a very long time".

For those not keen on sharing their bathtub with a meter-plus long potential man eater, Crocodiles Cambodia helpfully links to crocsite.com, which provides helpful information for the new crocodile handler.

"No doubt when you think of a crocodile as your pet you might be wondering if it will work out," crocsite.com asks cheerily.

"They can be harmful for the inexperienced lovers ... There is no doubt that crocodiles are not for kids. They can be ... potentially harmful to other pets, and even people."

So don't get one for Junior for Christmas and don't buy it to protect your dog. Otherwise, it all sounds fine, and Crocodiles Cambodia advises that more than 90% of its brown paper packages make it to the buyer (who can pay by Visa, check or Western Union) and the unfortunate few who get diddled by customs receive a full money back guarantee.

However some are not so sure. Chris Hunter of the highly regarded Florida crocodile facility Nature Coast Exotics Inc is not sure how practical it is to ship eggs.

"I do not know of anyone actually shipping crocodile eggs as they are completely different than a chicken egg," he said by email. "Crocodilian eggs … can not be rotated more than 20 degrees in any direction.

"The embryo attaches to the top of the egg within 24 hours. If the egg is tilted more than 20 degrees the embryo will drown in its own fluid and no longer be fertile. Being they are so delicate I don't see how they could ship them."

He has concerns about the breed, too.

"The hybrid crocs grow twice as fast as pure breds," he warns.

Florida has introduced strict laws about owning crocodiles, as have countries such as Australia, both because of how potentially dangerous this toothy pet can be and because owners who find they have bitten off more than they can chew tend to set them free, with sometimes disastrous consequences.

The laws also protect the crocs, who need very specific conditions and a lot of room to be kept humanely.

For those whose crocodile eggs don't make it, Crocodiles Cambodia advises that the eggs also make a delicious snack, although they sell unfertilized eggs for just a dollar, making buying failed fertilized eggs an expensive investment.

So if your dog has recently lost his life in the midst of the global food crisis, the option is always there to try a croc – or perhaps just contact Crocodiles Cambodia through Alibaba.com or their own website crocodilescambodia.com to enquire about renting one, if only to see the look on the robbers' faces when they walk in the gate.